The Lass Called Leni
by Thefoxmage
Summary: After a famed international super spy is laid up in the hospital while on the line of duty, Leni Loud is chosen to take her place for a mission; based purely on the fact she looked just like her. Can she save the world, or are we all doomed? Rated T for violence, possible language, and chance of alcohol.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: Yeah, I know I should have probably finished one of my other stories before starting this one, but I couldn't help myself. Besides, the route I'm going with LincolnJuice (closest story to being finished...it's going to be a while. Anyway, since The Lass Called Leni got the most love out of all the ideas I posted on the last chapter of Lynn Loud and the (not so) Reluctant Werewolf, gonna post this one first. Here's hoping you like it. With that out of the way...roll the theme song!_

_Who do you call?_

_When your clothes don't match at all?_

_When your fashion is failing_

_and leaving you wailing! Boo Hoo!_

_The Lass Called Leni! That's whoooooooo..._

_Who's always there?_

_Even if she doesn't lnow where?_

_One who's always so charming_

_It's almost alarming, too true._

_The Lass Called Leni! That's whooooooo..._

_She thrives on seeing you smile!_

_And all the while, she's out there to prove,_

_that her head's not full of aiiiiiiiir!_

_Who is that lass?_

_The Lass Called Leni!_

_Heh. Sorry. Couldn't resist on that either._

* * *

Different, yet Similar

The mountains. Secluded, often times incredibly difficult terrain to traverse. This often makes them ideal locations for those who enjoy the challenge of conquering their heights, or just those who like a little peace and quiet. However, this late evening, peace and quiet were the last things that could be found in the mountains of Michigan. Roaring along the winding roads that twisted and circled Mt Huron were two vehicles. In the front was a shiny midnight blue motorcycle, being ridden by a woman with long golden hair, a kind looking face currently set in an expression of absolute concentration, and wearing a dark trench coat, wide brimmed hat and heels. Behind her was a jet black convertible, driven by a child sized woman with lemon lime hair done up in a bun in a magenta business suit. Beside her was a hulking brute of a man with short red hair, a five o clock shadow, and a barely visible scar on his chin. He was wearing dark gray button up shirt with a black vest over it and black dress pants. In his hand, he held a large magnum revolver, taking aim at the woman ahead of them on the motorcycle. The golden haired woman glanced back for a moment, her expression hardening. Just as the goon opened fire, she swerved to the side, narrowly avoiding getting shot. From her coat pocket, she drew a 9mm pistol and, during a straight away, turned back to fire a few shots back at her pursuers. The driver gasped and ducked her head under the dash, but the gunman just smirked as he kept on firing his weapon. Bullets hit the hood of the car, shattered the windshield, and two hit the man in the chest. However, he didn't even react. His partner looked up at him in concern, but he simply patted his chest, then opened his shirt a little to reveal a bulletproof vest underneath.

The woman on the motorcycle swore under her breath, turning back around to navigate an especially dangerous hairpin turn. It was going to take some doing to get these two off her back and she knew it. After another magnum round knocked the hat right off her head, the driver joined in with a machine pistol of her own. The target of their violent tendencies leaned close to her bike, flipping a switch in front of her. A billowing white smoke screen shot from her tail pipe and right into the faces of her ill wishers. They didn't cease their trigger happy behavior, but as they couldn't see their target, they couldn't hit her. The woman in the dark trenchcoat smirked a bit before returning her attention to the road. Up ahead was a tunnel. Perfect. Just before they could reach the tunnel, she turned sharply off the road and over the side. Turning her bike to the side, she started to skid down the slanted face of the mountain, praying her cycle would hold up from this. Meanwhile, the convertible went right into the tunnel and out the other side in a matter of seconds. The driver quickly realized they had lost their prey and slammed on the brakes. "What the!?"

"Where'd she go, Allie?" The larger man asked in a thick, gravelly voice, looking around in confusion.

"I don't know, Bruno…" She answered in a russian like accent, getting out of the car and walking up to the edge of the road. "...but there is no way Agent Silk could have gone far…" Her larger companion walked over beside her, the two of them surveying the area below them.

"Look!" Bruno shouted, pointing at where Agent Silk had just landed; a dirt road far below them. She looked back up at them and grinned, giving them a slight farewell salute before she turned her bike back the opposite direction. "There she is!"

"Oh no! She's going to get away!" Allie cried as the bike sped off.

"No she won't." The brutish man said with a calm smile as he ran back to the car, drawing a rocket launcher from the trunk. He hurried back to the edge and aimed the weapon at the mountain, ahead of where the blonde cyclist was headed. With a pull of the trigger, a rocket flew from the barrel and soared through the sky. It struck the rocky wall overlooking the road in a fiery explosion, causing an avalanche of rocks and boulders to start tumbling toward the street and Agent Silk. She looked up just as the rocket burst, her eyes widening in terror as the storm of stone headed right for her. She gripped the throttle hard to try and get past the avalanche, but to no avail. She and her bike quickly disappeared under the falling rocks and dust. Allie and Bruno smiled as they watched and waited, making sure she wasn't going to suddenly reappear like a bad rash.

"Nicely done, comrade."

"Thank you, Allie. Heh. There's something about crushing your foes under large, heavy things...that just makes the job more fun, am I right?" Bruno commented, shouldering the used launcher like it were a hunting rifle.

"Indeed, Bruno, but let us not bask in our victory too much longer. The Gilded Swan will want to know of Agent Silk's demise." Allie said, turning back to the car, followed closely by her brawny friend. Back down at the pile of rubble, on the side they couldn't see, the blonde haired agent was mostly buried under rock and gravel. Only about half her torso, one arm and her head were visible. She was in bad shape, but she was still alive, made evident by her weak groaning.

"...credit where credit is due…" She moaned to herself in a soft, alluring voice as her eyes opened slightly. "...they're getting better...but they still don't know to finish the job." She painfully turned her head to her free arm, which had a watch on the wrist which, thankfully, hadn't been damaged. She moved it closer to her face and pushed a button on it with her nose. "Agent Silk, to Chief Ester. Come in Polly Ester."

"This is Chief Ester. Do you have a status report, Silk?" An authoritative woman's voice responded from the watch communicator.

"Mission successful, Chief, but not without cost." She responded, wincing in pain. "The Swan's goons, Allie and Bruno, caught up with me at Mt Huron and attempted to rock me to sleep..permanently."

"Are you alright, Silk?"

"Oh, I'm just dandy. About two thirds of my bones feel like they're broken, but otherwise, things are just peachy." She answered snarkily, getting a sigh from the chief on the other end.

"I will send a rescue and extraction squad immediately. Turn on your tracking beacon in your communicator and they'll be there in a matter of seconds. I will arrange for you to be taken to the nearest CIA backed hospital in the area. I will meet you there."

"Roger that, Chief. See you then. Over and out." Agent Silk said before turning off her wrist radio, looking out at the landscape the mountain oversaw. "Well, as long as I'm waiting here...row row row your boat, gently down the stream…~"

* * *

Many miles away…

"...Merrily merrily merrily merrily, life is but a dream.~" Leni sang as she put the finishing touches on her latest article of clothing: a lovely wide brimmed sun hat, colored sky blue with a white band. Simple, functional, and quite pretty. She flipped the chapeau onto her head before looking at the full length mirror she and Lori shared. "What do you think, Lori? Be brutal."

"Heh. I think it looks fine, Leni." Lori responded, looking up from her college courses catalog to look at her sister in her new hat. The fashionista smiled to her sister as she spun a little before the mirror, then her smile faded. She valued her older sister's opinion, of course, but what she really needed was a second opinion; a guy's opinion. In other words, her brother Lincoln. She strolled right out of the door she shared with Lori and traipsed down the hall with nary a care in the world. She was a few steps away from the converted linen closet that was her little brother's room when…

"Duck and cover!" Shouted the lipsy voice of Lisa from within her room/lab.

"Duck? Where!?" Leni asked excitedly, looking around for a moment before Lisa's door was blasted off its hinges, sending it flying into Leni and sandwiching her between itself and the door to Lana and Lola's room. The sudden slam alerted the twins, who ran over to see what happened. When the opened the door, they saw a somewhat flattened Leni standing there, but only for a moment before she fell backwards into their room.

"Leni!? Are you alright?" Lana asked in concern.

"Ducktales….woo ooo…" She groaned, still seeing birdies.

"She's fine." Lola commented with a shrug. Just then, Lisa's door was pushed away to make way for Lincoln, Lisa and Lori, who made a beeline for the ditzy teen on the floor. The eldest sister and one son helped her sit up, while the little genius looked her over.

"Leni, are you experiencing exceptional disorientation?" She asked her as she looked into her eyes. "What is your name? What is the hue of my upper apparel? How many digits do you see?" She continued, holding up two fingers.

"Uh...what were the questions?" Leni inquired, a little lost at the rapid fire questions. Lisa sighed and slowly repeated the questions. "Oh. Uh...Leni. I don't know about your hue, but your shirt is green." She answered, then looked at the toddler's fingers for a moment before responding with a smile "Two."

"Well, her mental capacities seem normal...for Leni." The four year old intellectual stated. "However, it couldn't hurt to take her to a licensed health practitioner."

"I'm alright, Lisa. Really." Leni said, though she still rubbed her head.

"I'm sure you are, Leni, but let's just make absolutely sure.." Lori told her, taking her hand and walking her toward the door. 'Besides, I've always said you should have your head examined' She thought to herself.

* * *

Within a matter of minutes, Lori and Leni were both at Royal Woods General Hospital, the two sisters in an examination room waiting for the nurse. Leni certainly looked fine as she looked around the room with a smile, kicking her legs a bit as she sat on the paper lined table as she hummed. "Think you'll be alright for a bit, Leni?" The oldest of the sisters inquired, leaning against the doctor's desk as she looked to the ditzy teen.

"Sure, Lori. The nurse should be back soon. I can wait." The fashionista responded.

"Alright. I'm going to head back to the waiting room. If you need something, send me a text." Lori told her as she walked out of the office, leaving the simple minded teen to her thoughts. Within a couple seconds of Lori leaving, the nurse stepped back into the room. A fairly young man with short black hair, large glasses, and a small, slightly rounded nose.

"Good day, Miss Loud." He greeted her with a smile. "What appears to be the problem?"

"I kinda got crushed between two doors, and my family wanted to make sure everything was alright." Leni explained, as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

"Crushed between two doors? How did that happen?" He asked, looking very perplexed.

"Well, something in Lisa's room exploded-"

"Ah. Say no more." He interrupted, holding up a hand. Most of the staff at the hospital was very familiar with Lisa's work, and knew it could lead to painful accidents. "Very well then. Let's have a look see."

* * *

While the nurse was giving Leni a check up, a few doors down, Agent Silk was laying down on a hospital bed, both legs and one arm in casts, bandages around her head and around her chest. A large, slightly overweight doctor with short white hair and a long bushy beard was standing beside her, writing something down on her chart. "Hmmmm. You got mighty lucky, young lady." He told her. "Surviving an avalanche like that with only a couple broken bones, a few cracked ribs, and a concussion...it could have been a lot worse."

"Trust me, doc; it felt like it was a lot worse." She replied with a soft, throaty chuckle. "But I'm built tougher than I look."

"I can imagine, in your line of work." The doctor said in a low voice. Just then, a tall, trim woman in a light gray business suit strolled right into the room, a serious expression on her face. She had wavy red hair, black horn rim glasses, earrings with tiny ruby orbs on them, and bright pink faux fingernails. The doctor was about to ask her what she was doing there, but she hastily flashed an ID in his face. He blinked in surprise, but nodded to her before he departed the room.

"Nice of you to visit, Chief." The blonde haired agent said with a bit of a smile.

"How are you holding up, Agent Silk?" Chief Ester asked as she moved beside her bed.

"Better than I was earlier." Agent Silk admitted with a chuckle. "Doctor says I'll be out of commission for several weeks, worst case." The chief sighed, shaking her head. "But on the plus side, I did get this." She reached her good hand down her hospital gown, pulling up a silver pendent. She pressed a finger into the back of it and a secret compartment opened, revealing a mini sd card. Chief Ester took the card and placed it into her phone to examine the pictures within.

"Excellent work as always." She complimented, swiping through the images, her frown growing with each swipe. "...this is worse than initial intel indicated." Each picture showed images of a wall sized computer screen, with a string of programming gobbledygook in green text scattered across a black screen. To most, it would look like nonsense. To the Chief, it clearly meant something much worse. "Do you know what this means, Agent Silk?"

"Not a clue, Chief. Me and computers get along like fire and dynamite."

"This, Silk, is the foundation for a computer virus." Polly explained, her fingers tapping against her thumb as she spoke. "And giving the Gilded Swan's prior threats toward the world economy, I think I can safely guess what it'll be used for…"

"Has the Swan made any demands?"

"Not presently. Just issued the threat." Chief Ester told her, pulling up the video on her phone. There was someone mostly obscured by shadows, with the only light coming from a glowing golden mask with a swan like beak. A few golden curls and a strong, yet feminine chin was all that could be seen from the glow.

"Countries of the world, heed this message." A synthesized voice said, a pair of cold eyes staring out of the mask eye holes. "For years, it has been a tense game of cat and mouse between us. And each time, this little mouse has evaded the cat. But as much fun as the game has been, it is time to shake up the rules a little. Now you will all be the little mice and I, the Gilded Swan, will be the big, bad cat. And I have my eyes on your stockpiles of cheese. Not to eat myself, of course, but to ruin, so I can watch you all starve; slowly and painfully."

"Lovely person…" Silk commented sarcastically.

"...I am a reasonable cat, though. I may give you a chance to save yourselves from a slow death...it depends on my mood. We shall keep in touch."

"So by cheese, they mean money." The infirmed secret agent reasoned.

"Indeed. And ruin means just what it says: to destroy the economies of the countries of the world, making their currencies all but useless, effectively starving them."

"What about cyber currency?"

"A mystery company is collecting far more than humanly possible. The Swan I'd bet."

"Fiendish ingenious." Agent Silk said with a frown. "With the lion's share of cyber currency and each country's physical currency being worth less than the paper it's printed on, they could dominate the world economically."

"Precisely why they needs to be stopped."

"Do we have any leads on them?"

"Only one. A gentleman believed to be in the Swan's inner circle." Chief Ester pulled up a picture on her phone: that of a handsome man with slick brown hair, a pencil thin mustache, and a 'come hither' smile.

"Hmmm. The Swan has good taste in henchfolk." Silk commented with a bit of a grin.

"I'm glad you think so, Agent Silk, because he wishes to cooperate with the CIA. However, he will only speak to YOU specifically. It seems the last time you two met, he found you very charming."

"I have that effect on men, Chief." The bed ridden spy said, somewhat proudly.

"You certainly do. However, he wishes to meet with you soon. As in, the next week or two soon. If you can't make it to meet him, we may miss our only chance to bag The Swan before she puts her plan into action…"

"Unfortunately, I can't promise I'll be well that quickly…" Silk said, her face falling. "Sorry…"

"Sigh...it's not your fault, Silk…" Polly said, rubbing her temple a bit as she stepped out of the room.

* * *

"Well, I don't see any signs of lasting damage." The male nurse said as Leni's check up had finished. "No indications of a concussion, no disorientation, normal reflexes, vitals are fine. You got very lucky, Miss Loud."

"Thanks, nurse." The kindly blonde said with a big smile, pleased to hear she was alright. "My family will be totes thrilled."

"I'm sure they will. Have a good day, Miss Loud, and be sure to pop right back in if something doesn't seem right." The nurse told her before handing her a grape lollipop.

"Ok." She said cheerfully, unwrapping the candy and putting it in her mouth before stepping out of the examination room. She pulled out her phone and texted to Lori that she was on her way down, before going in the opposite direction of the stairs. As she was looking through her social media, she walked past the pensive Polly. "Hello." She said cheerfully in passing.

"Good day…" Chief Ester replied in an off handed manner, glancing up at the young lady. The moment she saw her, her jaw dropped. She looked between Leni, then to Agent Silk, then back to Leni. 'Impossible.' She thought. 'I...can't believe my eyes. She...she's like Agent Silk's twin. Could it be…?' She just stared as Leni continued on her way down the hall. "...Miss."

"Hmmm?" The kindly fashionista turned her head to see who had spoke.

"Miss, could I have a word with you? I may have an important job for you."

"Oh. Sure." Leni responded, turning back around to rejoin the mystery (to her) woman. Chief Ester beckoned her to enter the nearby room, to which the second oldest of the Loud sisters obliged. When she stepped inside, she froze in place, her eyes locked on the bed ridden secret agent before her. Silk slowly looked up from her own phone and was equally shocked at what she saw. Leni slowly moved in closer, looking Agent Silk over with a critical eye, while she was being similarly judged by the injured woman. "...I'm in worse shape than the nurse said…" she comment sadly. "And he said I was fine."

"...uh...you're not looking into a mirror, kid." The blonde haired woman informed her, looking somewhat worried about her.

"This, miss, is Agent Silk of the CIA, our top operative. Agent Silk…" Chief Ester gestured to the sixteen year old beside her.

"Leni Loud."

"A pleasure, Miss Loud. I'd offer a hand to shake, but my mobility is kinda limited." The secret agent said, indicating her casts.

"As you can see, Miss Loud, Agent Silk is in no condition to do anything presently." The chief explained, stepping in front of Leni. "And unfortunately, we need her for a very important job."

"Oh no...I'm sorry to hear that...I wish there was some way I could help."

"Actually, Miss, there is something you can do." Polly said with a soft smile. "As you confirmed when you came in, you share a remarkable resemblance to Agent Silk."

"Oooh. Yeah, we do look kinda alike."

"Indeed. And right now, that resemblance is all we needed. You see, we needed Agent Silk to meet a contact who possesses vital information regarding The Gilded Swan."

"Oooo! That sounds like a really pretty bird!" Leni said in a voice of wonder. Chief Ester and Agent Silk slowly looked to one another, but the chief decided it may be better not to correct her.

"Indeed. A very pretty bird, which our government wants to put in a special cage." She continued. "Anyway, we only need you to meet with this contact, find out what he knows, and leave."

"Like, that sounds easy enough." The second oldest of the sisters said with a smile. "Where am I going to meet this contact?"

"That...is actually part of the rub." The chief admitted, her smile fading. "The contact is located in Paris, and does not wish to travel. Too risky. So we'll need you to go to Paris to meet with him."

"Paris!?" The fashion centered Loud suddenly fell into a dream like state. "The beauty...the romance...the fashion!" She started to say, her eyes wide and sparkly and her hands on her cheeks.

"Focus, Miss Loud!" The stern woman snapped, bringing Leni back down to reality. "Anyway, we will provide you with a method of getting to France, and will pay you quite handsomely for your assistance. That said, we also won't force you to do this. I can't guarantee that there won't be any element of danger in this, after all. However, this is a matter of great importance." The second oldest sister looked up at the ceiling for a moment, thinking it over.

'Hmmmm. Possible danger...going to Paris.' She pondered. 'Meet someone for a job...Paris. Possi-Paris!' She mentally decided.

"I'll do it!" She said excitedly. "I can't wait to tell my family about this!"

"Whoa, wait!" Polly suddenly exclaimed in a bit of a panic, before returning to a lower voice. "You cannot reveal the nature of this mission to anyone."

"Huh?" Leni asked, looking a little confused.

"This has to be kept secret. If the wrong person hears what you're doing, you or the contact will be put in danger." She said, as if she were explaining some very obvious to someone.

"Oh...I'm not very good at keeping secrets. Like, the absolute worst...but I'll keep this one. Promise." Leni told them with a cheery smile. The chief and the infirmed agent were clearly starting to wonder if they had made a big mistake, but at this point, they were stuck. They didn't really have any other options.

"Thank you, Miss Loud…" She said in a tone of resignation as she pulled out her phone. She messed around on it for a while before two plane tickets sprouted from a concealed printer. "Here are your plane tickets. Keep them someplace safe."

"Okie doke." Leni responded, putting them into her purse. "Oh...what will I tell my family if I can't tell them the truth?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something." Polly said. "Just don't tell them about your mission. Oh, and before you go, we'll need you to speak with our Lead Researcher in the area, L. She'll provide you with a few things that will help keep you safe, and make the mission a little easier." She elaborated, handing her a paper with instructions. "After you've found and met with her, destroy those instructions. We'll give you more details on your mission when you arrive in France."

"Got it."

"Farewell, Miss Loud...and good luck." The chief said before shaking her hand and sending her on her way.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, chief?" The blonde haired agent inquired pessimistically.

"I'm starting to have my doubts…" She admitted, shaking her head. "She does seem quite...dim. However, all she needs to do is meet with the gentleman and convince him she's you, gaining us information on the Gilded Swan. That shouldn't require much out of her."

"Just to be safe, I'm going to call a few of my trusted contacts." Silk said, getting out her own phone. "Just to let them know not to worry if I seem off. Just got out of the hospital."

"A good idea. Rest well, agent." Chief Ester said with a small salute before she departed herself.

* * *

Down in the waiting room, Lori was starting to get impatient waiting for her sister to return. 'She said she was on her way down...she probably got lost." She thought, though in this instance, she couldn't really blame Leni. After all, it was a pretty big facility, and since it looked mostly the same, it wasn't hard to get lost in the halls. She was about to consider going to look for her ditzy sister when she saw her emerge from the elevator.

"Oh! Here it is." She declared, supporting the phone loving sister's theory as she stepped into the waiting room.

"Hey Leni. What's the verdict?"

"Uh...I don't know. Was I supposed to go to court?"

"...I mean what did the nurse say?"

"Oh! He said I was ok, but to come back if anything doesn't seem right." The fashionista explained.

"Well, that's a relief." The authoritative blonde said, smiling lightly as she escorted her sister out of the building and into Vanzilla.

"Oh, by the way, you will NOT believe what happened while I was in there." Leni suddenly blurted out when they got into the van.

"You got the number of one of the cute teen volunteers?" Her older sister guessed with a chuckle.

"That would be nice, but even better!" She said. This got Lori's attention, though she had to keep her eyes on the road.

"You got me curious. What is it?" The oldest sister inquired. Leni was about to say what it was, but she remembered she needed to keep her mission a secret. She paused a moment to think about what to say. A move that didn't really surprise Lori.

"Oh yeah! I was selected to have some of the outfits I made, that I displayed on my social media, showed off in a fashion show…"

"Really? That's great Leni-" Lori started to say.

"...in Paris!" She continued as if her sister hadn't spoken.

"Whoa! Really? That's literally the fashion big time." The oldest sister said excitedly. "Way to go, Leni."

"It gets better!" Leni squealed happily. "It means I get to go to Paris too!" She added, pulling the tickets from her purse. "I already have the tickets!" Vanzilla suddenly pulled over and screeched to a stop. Lori forced it into park before slowly looking at Leni.

"Are you serious…?" She asked, thinking if this is one of Luan's pranks, heads will roll. She looked down at the plane passes in her sister's hand, her face getting just like Leni's earlier. "Leni, this is amazing! A trip to Paris, one of the most beautiful places on the Earth!"

"I know, right!? EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" Leni screamed along with her sister.

"Wait...you have TWO tickets." Lori pointed out, to which the dimmer blonde looked down at them.

"Oh yeah. I do." She said before looking up at Lori. "Do you want to-?"

"YES!" Lori screamed before Leni could finish her question, pulling her into a big bear hug. "This is so incredible! Paris! If only my Boo Boo Bear could go with me...But this is still really incredible!" The oldest sister was as giddy as a school girl as she put the van back into gear and started back toward home. "Paris...it's like a dream come true…"

"Oh, Lori. There's someplace I gotta go before I go home." She said, pulling the instructions from her purse. "Can you drop me off someplace first?"

"Sure, Leni...whatever you say." Lori said, not really paying her any attention.


	2. Chapter 2: Raging Sister, Hidden Threat

Raging Sister, Hidden Threat

As Lori drove through the dark night, Leni covertly pulled out the instructions to find L the Chief had handed her and looked them over. She nodded and looked up. "Oh! Here's where I have to get off, Lori." She declared, pointing at the street ahead. Lori blinked as she stopped by the street sign and looked up at it. She then gave her sister a very weird look.

"...are you sure, Leni?" The kindly teen nodded as she got out of Vanzilla.

"I'll see you back at home." She told her before she looked up at the sign: Franklin Avenue. She then started walking down the sidewalk, looking at the paper in her hand. Her older sister was starting to wonder about her as she drove slowly along the street. The fashionista didn't notice, focused purely on finding L. "Let's see...I just need to find...1216! Here it is!" She said as she spotted the mailbox. She ran up in front of the house...and noticed Vanzilla parked in the driveway. "Huh. I wonder what Lori's doing here?" She wondered aloud, but then she shrugged. "She's probably waiting for me to finish, so we can all go home." She decided as she walked to the front door, her older sister more confused than ever. She knocked on the door and, after a minute's wait, Lincoln answered the door. "Linky? What are you doing here?"

"...This is our house, Leni." He replied with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah!" The sweet but aloof realized as she looked around at the inside for a moment, giggling a bit to herself. "Well, anyway, I'd like to talk to Lisa."

"Uh...sure thing. She's up in her room." He told her, nudging his head toward the stairs.

"Thanks!" She chirped as he stepped aside, the teen girl strolling happily along as she scaled the stairs. Lincoln just watched her head to the second floor, Lori joining him at the door way.

"Is Leni alright?" He asked her quietly.

"The hospital said she is...but I'm starting to wonder…"

* * *

"Understood, Chief Ester." Lisa said, nodding to the video image of the chief before her. She was surrounded by a dark metal shell at least three times her size, with a little circular window with a window shade that was currently pulled down. Once upon a time, this was a prototype time machine. However, after a few failed experiments, she had converted it into a personal video phone, for private conversations. "I will be ready to outfit the agent when they arrive."

"Thank you, L. Now, she isn't one of our usual agents, just as a heads up." Polly warned the toddler genius. "In fact, she's a little out there."

"Nothing I am not used to, Chief." She responded, unconcerned. Just then, there was a knock on the door. "Pardon me. That must be the agent. I will update you after I have given her the essentials. L, Out." She hung up on the chief and started to emerge from the pod as Leni opened the door. "Ah. Elder sister. I suppose I have a guest?" The four year old scientist inquired.

"Actually…" She leaned in to whisper her next sentence. "...I'm here to see L." Lisa blinked, before raising an eyebrow at her older sister. Then, her eyes sprang wide open, then narrowed in a scowl of pure, cold, calm fury.

"Come in, Elder Sister...if you would excuse me a moment...I need to make a call real quick." The angered genius said as she reentered the pod. "Please do not touch anything."

"Ok." Leni said simply, stepping into Lisa and Lily's room and closing the door behind her. The mini mastermind quickly sealed the opening and nearly punched the number for the chief back in.

"Finished already, L? That was-" The stern faced woman started to say.

"What in heaven's name are you thinking!?" Lisa snapped furiously. Seeing the usually stoic child so furious was very startling to the chief. "Of all the people you could have thought to choose, you selected my older, dim witted sibling!?"

'Sibling? Oh good grief…' Polly thought, her thoughts showing in her face. "L, I understand your anger-"

"No. I don't think you do." Lisa interrupted her. "In which case, I will explain it to you. First and foremost, she is barely mentally competent, outside of a narrow array of skills...and you want to send her on a mission in which the safety of the world is on the line."

"I...admit I noticed a certain...lack of book smarts about her…" Chief Ester confessed, trying to retain her composure.

"Second…" Lisa continued. "...this is an incredibly dangerous undertaking. You know as well as I that is the Gilded Swan wouldn't shy away from ending the lives of others. What happened to Agent Silk should be evidence enough of that. And you expect me to send my own sister on such a task."

"Again, I won't deny-"

"Third, even if we ignored all of that, she is a minor." The little genius stormed on.

"So are you, but you still aid us in our endeavors…" The chief attempted to counter her argument, her expression one of anger.

"Indeed. However, my aid comes in the form of my genius level intellect and my inventions. What you are asking of my sister is to travel overseas, to meet with an unknown enemy agent, without adult supervision. Can you even fathom the level of trouble the CIA, and especially you, could get into should she get hurt, or worse!?" Lisa slammed her little hands onto the keyboard before her as she went on her tirade.

"...I see your points, L…" Polly said calmly, her own temper at an all time high. "...however, with Agent Silk incapacitated, and our only chance to catching the Gilded Swan entirely reliant on Silk meeting with this agent, we need to do what is necessary."

"I could easily create a device to change one's appearance to match Agent Silk's…"

"We don't have that kind of time, L. If we did, we could wait for Silk to recover."

"...Miss Ester…" Lisa said, her face red as she got right up to the video screen. "...there is no way in any interpretation of the realm of Hades that I will allow Leni to be sent on this mission...you will need to find another method of accomplishing this task…" The chief was so close to exploding on this child, not just for outright refusing in this vitally important matter, but not referring to her by her title. The disrespect was absolutely galling. However, she barely managed to keep her cool, taking a deep breath before trying a different tactic.

"L, I understand your concern for your sister. I really do." Polly said, forcing herself to keep calm. "And if it were any other situation, I would seek other options. However, as this is the Gilded Swan we are talking about, and given how close they appear to be to accomplishing their goals…" She sent Lisa one of the images of the Swan's virus program. Seeing even this little bit of coding was enough to make the mini genius go pale. "...desperate times call for desperate measures. We need your sister to act as Agent Silk to speak with this other agent and find out what he knows about the Swan. It should be straightforward and, hopefully, quick. Done properly, there should be minimal risk to Miss Loud." Lisa adjusted her specs as she thoroughly considered the issue in her own head. A part of her still wanted to tell the CIA to go pound salt with their faces, but she couldn't deny it was a dire situation. She couldn't, in good conscience, allow the Gilded Swan's plot to go unimpeded.

"...very well." The second youngest said after a few moments silence. "I am NOT happy with this...but I concede that it is unfortunately necessary in the given circumstances. However, I trust you will take whatever steps are necessary to ensure her safety…"

"Of course, L."

"Good. Good...because if she is hurt during this escapade, and I feel it resulted from your failure…" Lisa narrowed her eyes at her as she put on her most threatening voice. "...I will ruin you in every conceivable way possible…"

* * *

Chief Ester gulped when she heard that. While the little brainiac was on their side, she knew what the child was capable of, and knew she wasn't one for making idle threats. "I...understand, L." She replied in a shaky voice. "I promise you I will do anything in my power to ensure Miss Loud's safety before, during and after the meeting."

"See that you do." Lisa told her sharply before ending the call. Polly sighed as she placed her head on her desk in front of her laptop's keyboard.

"What did I get myself into…?" She asked in a groan, shaking her head. "Between Agent Silk's critical injury, needing to enlist a civilian for an important mission, and now have our best inventor on my case…" She slowly looked back up as she sat back up in her seat. "...but, if it means we can bring one of the most ingenious, villainous criminals currently in operation to justice...it will be worth it." She quietly convinced herself. She then grabbed her phone and started to dial a number. She had a lot she needed to do before Leni left for France, and she didn't have a lot of time to get it done.

* * *

The fashion centered sister was sitting on Lisa's work stool as she waited patiently, humming to herself as her little sister emerged from the pod. She was calmer, but still looked irate. "Thank you for waiting, elder sister...or should I say, Agent Silk." She said quietly, so their siblings couldn't hear.

"Huh? How do you know that?" Leni asked in surprise.

"Allow me to re-introduce myself. I am L." The young scientist said with a slightly proud smile. The second oldest of the Loud siblings just sat there with her mouth hanging open upon hearing that news. "Is it really that surprising? With my intelligence, inventing skills and government connections?"

"I...guess not." The innocent minded teen responded.

"At any rate, we have a lot to do, so let's get down to brass tacks." The toddler with the large brain said, walking toward her computer. Then, before Leni could say anything, she added. "It does not require either of us to have actual brass tacks…"

"Oh...right." Leni said with a giggle. Lisa rolled her eyes a little as she typed on her keyboard for a few seconds. When she finished, a secret panel opened in her wall, revealing a large peg board loaded with various household items.

"First off, as you are headed into an intelligence gathering mission, I've prepared a special recording device for you." The four year old egghead said, pulling a little barrette with a tiny metal ladybug upon it from the board.

"Aww. That's the cutest little barrette." The gal with an eye for fashion said, her eyes big, just like her smile.

"I am pleased to hear you find it aesthetically pleasing." Lisa said with a little smile. "However, it is no ordinary accessory." She tapped on the ladybug. It sprang to life, looking up at them.

"Good day, Creator, Agent Silk." The little robot insect said in an intellectual's voice. "Project 700, at your service."

"It talks?"

"Oh, more than that, agent." L replied with a prideful smile. "Seven hundred is quite intelligent. Practically capable of independent thought and emotion, with its advanced AI. However, its primary task is recording audio and video."

"That is incredible!...But can I call him Sven? It's easier to remember." Leni requested.

"If it pleases you, Silk." The robot bug replied politely. "Should you require my services, simply tap me on the head and I will do what I can. A second tap will send me into rest mode, where I will return to the guise of a simple accessory."

"Indeed." Lisa interjected, deactivating the recorder with a light touch. "Now, you'll need a few more things...purely for your safety, of course…" She proceeded to lend unto Leni: a mosquito spray that could turn any outfit bulletproof, a wrist communicator so she could talk to the Chief and Lisa at any time, a mascara tube that could throw up a smokescreen, and finally, a few tiny spheres that looked like stress balls.

"What do these do?" The dim, but kind teen inquired, just about the squeeze one of them.

"Don't do that!" The brilliant young girl cried, pulling the ball from her hand. "Squeezing it will activate the device. A little something in case your plane experiences difficulty and you are required to bail out. Simply apply pressure to it, then hurl it to the ground to create an air cushion to break your fall, instead of your neck."

"Oh! How clever!"

"Thank you. Just one last thing." The little genius pulled a seafoam belt from the board. "While you share many physical similarities with Agent Silk, you don't share her wardrobe. This belt will remedy that: it will create a holographic simulacrum of one of her usual outfits over top your own."

"That's amazing. And it matches my dress!" The second oldest sister chirped, taking hold of the belt.

"I believe that is the best I can do, short of outfitting you with actual weaponry." The young inventor said. "But you wouldn't even get past airport security if I did."

"Awww, that's fine, Lisa. You were a big help!" The overly sweet teen told her, giving her a big hug.

"Ahem. Thank you, Leni." The brilliant toddler deadpanned.

"Oh! I can't wait to tell Mom and Dad that Lori and I are going to France!" Leni squealed before she ran out of Lisa's room.

"Mother and Father? Oh dear. This could be an issue…" Lisa said with a frown, getting out her phone and hastily sending a message to the Chief.

* * *

"So let me get this straight-" Lynn Sr said, looking quite puzzled, just like his wife and their children. While Leni was meeting with L, Lori was relating to her family what had transpired at the hospital and on the trip back home. "-the hospital said Leni was fine, which of course is good…"

"Yes." The authoritative sister responded with a single nod.

"...but on the way home, she started acting peculiarly?"

"Yes. She asked me to drop her off at the end of our block and walked the rest of the way home, then asked Lincoln to talk to Lisa."

"I dunno. That seems like normal Leni to me." Luan commented with a shrug.

"Did anything else happen, Lori?" Rita asked with a raised eyebrow.

"No...oh, wait! One really exciting thing happened...but I think Leni would want to tell you herself." She said, just as they hear footsteps down the stairs. "That must be her now."

"Guys! You'll never believe what happened earlier!" The second oldest sister said, still holding Lisa's special belt.

"You found your favorite belt?" Lincoln guessed, pointing at the belt.

"Huh? Oh no. This came from Lisa." The fashionista said, putting the hologram belt into her pocket. "No. My clothing designs are going to be featured in a fashion show in Paris!"

"Really!? That's wonderful, Leni." The Loud Mother told her with a smile.

"A fashion show in Paris!" Lola nearly screamed, her eyes big and sparkly. "It's like a dream!"

"That's rocking news, sis." Luna commented with a big grin.

"And that's not all!" Lori interjected, motioning her younger sister to continue.

"I got tickets to go to Paris too! Can Lori and I go, Mom and Dad!? Canwecanwecanwecanwe!?" The sweet teen asked, bouncing on her heels in excitement.

"Whoa whoa, wait a minute…" Rita said, looking suddenly alarmed as she motioned her second oldest daughter to calm down. "Just the two of you?" She inquired cautiously. Leni nodded with a bright smile, while Lori's face started to fall. She knew what was coming. "...I'm sorry, dear, but you can't just go galavanting off to a foreign country without an adult with you."

"But Lori's coming with me." The somewhat airheaded young lady countered, pointing a thumb to her oldest sister.

"Leni...I'm not legally an adult yet…" Her older sister explained sadly, saving her mother the trouble.

"Exactly. And without a responsible, legal adult to accompany you, I'm afraid the answer is no." Their mother told them firmly. Now it was Leni's face that fell into sadness. She only had two tickets and she already told her older sister she could go to. The ditzy fashionista slowly looked to their phone obsessed teen, who had a defeated look on her face. It really broke Leni's heart; she knew how excited Lori was to possibly go to Paris. However, before she could say anything, Lisa toddled her way down the stairs, something in her hand.

"Pardon me, Leni, but I think you dropped this in my room." The micro mastermind said calmly, handing a piece of paper to her dimmer sister: a third airline pass.

"I did?" She asked in surprise, looking at her purse. "...there must be a hole in my purse somewhere."

"You had a third ticket, Leni?" Her older sister asked in surprise. She could have swore Leni only had two passes, but she knew that her sister didn't have the best memory. It probably got lost in her bag and she forgot about it.

"I guess I did. Hehe." She chirped, shrugging sheepishly before turning to her parents. "Would one of you like to come with us?"

"I'd love to, dear, but I don't have a sous chef who can watch things at the restaurant before." The Loud father said apologetically. Meanwhile, Rita was mulling it over for a moment, trying to contain her excitement so she could consider the matter logically.

"Well, I have built up a little vacation time at the office…" She finally spoke up. "I think I should be able to accompany you two." The moment they heard that, Lori and Leni burst out cheering, the two teens embracing and dancing about in a very Lola/Lana like way. Their siblings swarmed around them, congratulating Leni on her good fortune while Rita and Lynn Sr rose from their chairs, the blonde haired woman calmly walking to their room in the guise of calling her boss to ask for some vacation time, her husband right behind her. The moment she was in her room and out of sight and earshot, Rita started giggling and clapping herself, giddy as a schoolgirl at the prospect of going to Paris.

* * *

A few days later, at the Detroit Airport, Allie and Bruno had just finished going through security and were about to wait for their flight back to Europe. The duo were feeling quite pleased with themselves, as they believed they had dealt with a major thorn in their side. "We have it made, my mighty comrade." The shorter woman said quietly, lounging about in one of the many seats in the departure lounge. The area was very crowded, so they had to keep their voices down to avoid being overheard.

"Very right. Our boss will reward us handsomely for handling that Silk." He whispered back, speaking in a kind of code. "I just wish we didn't have to lose our tools…" He said somewhat glumly. The two had to ditch almost all of their weapons before they came to the airport, only able to smuggle a few in their car as they shipped it across the ocean.

"A shame to be certain, but in the long run, it's not a problem. With our pay for this job, we can get even better tools." She comforted him, patting him on the back. "And even after that, we'd live the life of luxury."

"Yes, I suppose you're right." Bruno responded, with a slight smile. "All we have to do now is sit back and-" He started to say, but he froze mid sentence as he stared toward the security station. His eyes were locked on Leni as she passed through the metal detector, which triggered when she tried. She had already put almost everything in her pockets into the little tray, but kept forgetting to remove her sunglasses from her head. Her mother was waiting patiently on the other side, while Lori looked utterly annoyed. "-kiss our tails goodbye…"

"Huh? What do you mean?" The smaller woman asked with a tilted head. Rather than answer, the larger man put his hand on her head and forced her head toward the security gate. Her face went pale and her pupils shrank to near non-existence. "I...I don't believe it…"

"We saw her get buried in the rocks...but she doesn't have a scratch on her." The red haired man said in awe.

"Never mind that...if the boss sees her like that, we'll have a lot worse than scratches on us…"

"I'll fix that…" Bruno said with a serious glare on his face, reaching into his coat to draw a glass knife.

"Whoa, wait a second…" Allie quickly pushed the weapon back out of sigh, looking around in a panic. "...in an American airport? Are you nuts?"

"...oh. You're right, Allie...the boss wouldn't be happy if she had to bail us out of prison…" He admitted, leaving the blade in its hidden sheath. "...but what do we do about Silk?"

"Let's just watch her for the time being." The green haired lady responded quietly. "And maybe follow her to wherever she's going. We should be able to find an opportunity to take her out."

"Right. Good thinking." He said in return. Eventually, Leni figured out what was wrong and made her way through the metal detector, closely followed by Lori. The Swan's two goons simply watched them as they made their way to the across the departure lounge and to the desk. They weren't the only ones either: going through the checkpoint right behind the Louds was a grown man with a thick black mustache like paint brush bristles, and parted hair to match. He was wearing a fine brown suit and carrying a newspaper under his arm. Once he was through and sat in the row of seats opposite Allie and Bruno, he opened his newspaper, pretending to read it as he kept his eyes on Leni.

"Ok, we're all set, girls." Rita said, smiling at the excited Leni and still somewhat irked Lori. "Our flight should be arriving in a little less than an hour."

"Thank goodness…" Her oldest daughter commented, flopping down onto the nearest seat. "After that debacle back there, I don't have much patience left."

"I understand your frustration, dear, but soon, we'll be on our way to Paris." Mrs Loud said, sitting beside Lori.

"...yeah, that's true." She replied, a small smile returning to her face. "And first class too."

"You hear that, Bruno?" Allie whispered to her much larger associate with a smirk. "She's going our way."

"Good. We may get out of this with our skin intact after all." He responded quietly, looking quite relieved himself. Meanwhile, the man with the mustache, still hidden behind his paper, reached a hand up to his ear.

"Agent Silk is currently in the airport…" He muttered quietly, seemingly to himself. "...She should be on her way to France soon enough...Roger that. I will continue to monitor her.. Over and out." He lowered his hand from his ear, continuing to fake reading the paper while Leni, Lori and their mother patiently waited for their plane to arrive, unaware that they were being watched.


	3. Chapter 3: From Paris with Loathe

From Paris with Loathe

Fortunately, for the Loud family, the flight out to France was uneventful. Beyond the usual screaming toddlers, a few obnoxious customers, and occasional turbulence, the trip was actually quite peaceful. Lori was kind of on edge, as she couldn't really use her phone much on airplane mode, but with her mother right next to her, she was able to get through it while she was awake. Meanwhile, Allie, Bruno, and the newspaper man were also trying to enjoy the flight, while making sure to keep watch over Leni. The two goons and mystery man seemed unaware of each others' presence, focused purely on observation of the young lady. The flight took nearly thirteen hours, the plane landing in Paris late into the night. "...so this is what jet lag feels like," Lori groaned as she, her sister and her mother disembarked into the airport. In spite of the fact they all took a fairly long nap mid trip, they still felt exhausted at the end of the trip.

"I'm definitely looking forward to just getting into our hotel and getting some sleep," The Loud mother said as they gathered their luggage.

"Leni, you have our hotel reservations, right?"

"I have them, Lori. I held onto them for safe keeping." Mrs Loud reached into her handbag and pulled out the paper confirming their room reservation. The oldest of the Loud kids nodded with a weak smile. While they were chatting, Leni's eyes were drinking in everything she could see. Yeah, the airport didn't look very different than the airport they just left, but it was still in Paris. And on the note of drinking, she was feeling quite thirsty.

"I think I'm going to get something to drink. Does anyone else want anything?" The second oldest of the sisters offered.

"A cup of tea would be nice, thanks dear," Rita told her.

"Just water for me, thanks," Lori responded. The kind, but dim blonde nodded as she made her way over to the airport cafe, pulling an english to french dictionary from her purse. Over at the cafe, a bubbly young woman with dark chocolate hair with orange highlights done in braids was just finishing with another customer. She had on a white button up shirt, a black skirt that hung down to her shins, and a green apron with the logo of the airline chain upon it. She had a slightly orange tan, a little beauty mark on her right cheek and a bright smile.

"Merci. Reviens, s'il te plait," She told the customer sweetly as he walked away. She turned to her next customer, Leni, and froze in place, her smile disappearing in a flash.

"Hello," The less than observant teen chirped before looking into her english to french book. "Uh...Deux O and un the, silver plate?" She attempted to ask in french. A few locals who heard her snickered a bit, amused at her broken french. The woman behind the counter, however, was far from amused. In fact, she had an expression of absolute hatred on her face; like she wanted to leap across the counter and throttle the girl in front of her. She tore off her apron and hurled it onto the counter before she stormed away, leaving Leni looking confused. "...I guess it was time for her break."

* * *

Eventually, the fashion centered teen was able to find another employee and get drinks for herself and her family before they headed to their hotel. After a good night's sleep, they were refreshed and ready to begin exploring the city. Once Leni had gotten showered and changed, she decided to give Chief Ester a call. "Hello? Chief?" She said quietly into the false watch on her wrist.

"I read you loud and clear, Agent Silk. What's your status?" Polly's voice sounded through the watch.

"I made it to Paris. We're all at the suite you arranged for us."

"Wonderful. I'm pleased to hear you made it safely," The chief responded, sounding relieved. "For the time being, standby. We'll arrange the meeting with the other agent and let you know the details as soon as we have them."

"Ok. We'll just take a nice little tour of Paris while I wait."

"Sounds like a plan, Silk. Keep in touch. Over and out."

"Who were you talking to?" Her older sister asked as she emerged from the bathroom, looking curiously at the spy stand-in.

"The people behind the fashion show. They said they would call me later to let me know when they need me in," Leni replied.

"You don't know when the show starts?"

"They never start on time...sadly, so they said they'd just let me know." Lori simply shrugged when she heard that.

"Well, that just gives us more time to tour Paris," She said as she got changed. "Hehehe. I can hardly believe we're here."

"I know, right!?" Leni chirped excitedly, pulling out Lisa's special mosquito spray. She thought back for a moment about what she had said about it:

_"Simply spray it on your clothes and whatever you spray it on will effectively stop most handgun bullets and shotgun pellets from a fair distance," The voice of Lisa explained in her mind. "However, it is far less effective at point blank range, and will not stop rifles at all, so be very careful."_

The ditzy teen wasn't really sure what she meant by some of what she said, but didn't let that stop her. She started to spray her usual outfit, as well as her arms and legs. "What are you doing, Leni?"

"Just using a little bug repellant," She answered with a smile. "I heard the mosquitos have been kind of pesky around here."

"Really? Good thinking, Leni. Mind if I borrow some?"

"Not at all." Lori held her arms out as Leni gave her clothes and limbs a quick spray. The eldest sister coughed a bit after she got a whiff of it.

"Ugh...no wonder it repels mosquitos...it stinks," She groaned, looking disgusted. Fortunately, the smell faded pretty quickly. "So, where should we go first?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe we can go see that famous tower they have here. You know, the one that kind of leans to one side," Leni suggested, tilting a little to emphasize her point.

"...wrong tower, Leni," She informed her with a shake of her head and a slight giggle. Once the two of them were ready, they met up with their mother down at the hotel buffet for breakfast. The three of them discussed their plans for the day: visiting the Arc du Triomph, the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, etc. Little did they know that three sets of ears were eavesdropping on them. The first was the mustachioed man, still hidden behind a newspaper while sipping on a mug of coffee. The second and third were Allie and Bruno, huddled over a plate of sausages and cheese.

"So...Agent Silk is planning on playing like she is sightseeing," Bruno whispered with a smirk.

"Makes me wonder what she's really up to…," Allie muttered, her eyes narrowed.

"I think that hardly matters, because in the end, she'll up on the clouds, plucking a harp," Her brawny associate commented, the two of them chuckling at the thought.

"Ah. Young love," An elderly man said with a happy sigh as he passed by their table with his wife, smiling a bit at them.

"Mind your own business, you old relics…" Allie grumbled under her breath. "Young love...honestly…"

"Well…" Bruno started to say, his cheeks changing hues lightly. "...it's not like we hadn't considered it before…"

"Well, yes…" The shorter woman admitted, blushing a tad herself. "...but you know The Swan doesn't approve of romance between her minions."

"She says as she's engaged in an intimate affair with Alfonse," He said with a sour expression.

"Bruno, sssshhh. The Swan could be listening...and if she heard you say that…"

"All I'm saying is she shouldn't be throwing stones from that glass palace of hers."

"Sigh...yes, I agree...but right now, let's focus on dealing with our little Silk problem. We'll worry about the hypocrisies later." The big brute of a man nodded with a soft grunt, the two henchpeople finishing their breakfast quickly so they could get out and prepare to deal with Leni.

* * *

With breakfast over, the three Loud women decided to start their tour with a stroll along the Seine River. Leni was looking down into the wide river below, smiling at the water sparkling in the sunlight as her mother and sister took pictures (with Lori sending some to Bobby). Walking down the boulevard on the opposite side of the river, the man with the black, paintbrush like mustache looked to be casually sightseeing, but he was really watching the family across the water. A fair distance ahead of them, sitting at a sidewalk cafe, were the brutish man and the shorter woman, both dressed as stereotypical french folk: striped shirts with berets, with a red ascot on Bruno. They had a cup of coffee in front of each of them, Bruno feigning interest in a magazine, and Allie acting like she was fixing her makeup, spying on the Louds as they approached in her compact mirror. She nodded at her partner, who nodded back. He pulled a silenced pistol from his shirt and took careful aim, with the weapon hidden in the paperback book. His finger tightened on the trigger, but before he could fire, he heard something zip past his own ear. At that exact microsecond…

"Oh!" Leni chirped as she leaned forward. The very second she did, something flew right past where her head used to be. Rita didn't notice, but Lori heard a soft sort of buzz when it happened, which made her flinch slightly. The kindly blonde smiled as she straightened up, holding a coin in her hand.

"What was that?" The oldest of the siblings asked, looking back in the direction she thought she heard the buzz.

"A penny I found," The agent stand-in responded, holding up the coin to show Lori.

"No. I mean that sound. I thought I heard a buzzing…"

"Oh. Must be one of those mosquitos," Leni replied with a shrug. Allie and Bruno blinked in shock, the former hiding his gun. The bulky man knew what he had heard: a bullet flying past his head, and headed for Agent Silk...but he hadn't shot it.

'Someone else took a shot at her...but who?'

* * *

Meanwhile, a far distance away, tucked away in an apartment complex, the barrel of a hunting rifle was just barely sticking out of the window, with a large silencer attached. Looking through the scope of the rifle was the chocolate haired young woman from the cafe, looking positively furious. "Zut...zat swine Silk is damned lucky…" She grumbled, pulling her weapon back from the window and hastily putting it away. She had a feeling someone may have seen her attempted assassination, so she needed to make tracks. "...but no matter...her luck will run out...and I will make her pay for what she did," She added under her breath, hastily pulling open a drawer and hiding a few knives, a folding baton, and a handgun on her person. Just then, a forceful knock came to her door. She swore under her breath and vaulted out the window. Before the police could break down the door, she was already scaling down the building, using each floors' balconies until she reached the ground.

* * *

"Huh...well, that mosquito spray must be doing wonders. It never came near us," Lori commented, accepting Leni's answer since she didn't have one of her own. Allie and Bruno were forced to act natural as the family started to pass, but as they walked by, Leni paused and looked back at the muscular man. He started to sweat a bit, worried he was about to be recognized as she walked closer to him.

"...I was never very fond of stripes, but you pull it off marvelously, sir," She finally said, her eyes on his shirt.

"Oh...uh, merci," He replied, nearly coughing when she addressed him. Her mother sighed and walked over to them, taking Leni by the hand and leading her away from their table. As soon as they were out of earshot… "Whew...she didn't recognize me…"

"...or she didn't want to cause a scene with those civilians nearby," Allie whispered with a frown. "We better move and find a new disguise…" The two hastily departed from their seats, just as the waiter came out with their check. He noticed the half filled cups and empty seats and glared in the direction they ran.

"Hey!"

* * *

After the three Louds had walked for several minutes along the walkway beside the Seine, Lori had spotted a taxi sitting idle by the road, waiting for a passenger. She and her mother decided they could more easily visit the famed landmarks of Paris this way, so they made their way over to the cab along with Leni. The scruffy looking driver glanced over at them and sighed, looking less than enthused about taking them as passengers. However, money was money, so he let them in. The moment he drove off (very slowly since the Louds wanted to see the sights), The Swans two minions followed along on a bicycle for two. They knew where they were going (having overheard them earlier), and they knew where they could try and get them. They quickly turned down an alley and took a shortcut to get ahead of the taxi enroute to the Eiffel Tower. They parked themselves at the end of another path between buildings further ahead, with Allie keeping watch behind them and Bruno watching the cab approaching. He pulls a handful of caltrops out of a pouch at his waist and tossed them onto the road. The cab rolled right over them, but instead of popping the tires, they got sent scattering. A few even flew right back into the alley and stuck right into Allie's rear, causing her to stifle her yelp of pain with her hand before glaring back at her brutish associate. He just shrugged with a nervous smile, trying his best not to laugh at her.

* * *

A few minutes later, the taxi was turning onto a bridge to cross over the river running through the city. The two henchpeople were already on the other side with their bike, waiting for their chance. As soon as the driver was more than three quarters of the way across, they started to casual bike across the path, expecting the vehicle to swerve to avoid them and go right into the river. However, the driver was barely paying attention, and his passengers were all focused on the approaching tower. Seeing that he wasn't swerving or stopping, Allie and Bruno fearfully picked up the pace. The car hit their back tire and caused them to lose control, sending them careening into the Seine instead. A few seconds after they had landed in the drink, Bruno surfaced, spitting out some water before pulling the furious Allie above water, both of them glaring upward as the car turned out of sight.

* * *

Once the family arrived at the Eiffel Tower, they all thanked the cab driver (who still didn't look like he cared), with Leni staying behind to pay him. "Let's see...tweeeeenty euros? Is that right?"

"Oui," He answered in a bored tone. The ditzy teen looked at the numerous notes in her hand, shrugged and handed him a fifty.

"Here you go. Keep the change," She chirped cheerfully. He glanced toward the bill and his eyes widened in surprise.

"Keep ze...are you sure, mademoiselle?" He asked her, uncertain he heard her correctly.

"Mmm Hmm," She answered with a nod.

"Merci, madam!" He said excitedly as he took the fifty euro note, his pupils practically becoming dollar signs.

"You're welcome. Oh. Can you stick around for a while to take us to that Arc thing next? Could be more where that came from."

"Mais oui, madam. It would be mon pleasure," He told her. She smiled at him as she walked off to rejoin her mother and sister. "Who says American tourists are all cheapskates?"

"Everything alright with the driver, sweetie?" Rita asked as the three headed right for the steel structure before them.

"Yep. He said it'd be his pleasure to wait to take us to the Arc next."

"Really? He seemed kind of surly before," Lori commented with a raised eyebrow.

"Maybe I said something to brighten his day." Leni said with a carefree shrug and a happy go lucky smile.

'Yeah. Keep the change, I bet,' Her older sister thought, holding back a snicker at the idea. However, it wasn't spoiling their trip, so why hold it against her? Besides, being on the cab driver's good side is rarely ever a bad thing. The trio paused at the base of the famed structure to get a few pictures from the bottom before they entered one of the many elevators that would take them to the top. At that moment, a spy glass poked out of some shrubbery several feet from the Eiffel Tower, pointed directly at the elevators. Inside the well trimmed bush was Allie, grinning as she held a hand radio closer to her mouth.

"They just got into elevator 3, Bruno? Are you ready?" She asked quietly.

"Yes," He responded in a soft whisper. The burlier of the two was at the observation deck at the very top of the tower, disguised as a member of the maintenance staff. He looked like he was doing a quick inspection of the elevators; opening them up with something resembling the jaws of life, closely looking over the cables and winches, and closing them again. None of the tourists and visitors there paid him any mind, since he looked to know what he was doing. He then opened the shaft to elevator three and pulled a pair of bolt cutters from his work suit.

"Good. Cut the cable and send Silk's world crashing down." Bruno nodded slightly, then blinked.

"Which cable?" He inquired under his breath. "There's a lot of them."

"The one moving, meathead…"

"That narrows it down," He replied sarcastically. "All but one are moving."

"Then pick one!" Allie nearly shouted, but barely managed to control herself in time. Her male counterpart just huffed and did as he was told, cutting into the wire at the center of it all. When the cutter sliced through, electricity shot through the bolt cutter and into Bruno, causing him to yell in pain and shake violently. He let go of the snips and fell onto his back, concerned patrons running over to make sure he was alright. Meanwhile, in the elevator car, all the lights inside had gone out and the elevator music had died suddenly.

"Hey! Who put the lights out?" Lori asked in annoyance, her irritated face illuminated by the light of her phone.

"Must have blown a fuse or something," Rita surmised as she looked up at the deactivated lights. "The elevator is still moving though."

* * *

With Bruno temporarily put out of commission and Allie forced to go after the ambulance taking her associate to the nearest hospital, the rest of the Louds' visit to the Eiffel Tower was uneventful. After a couple pictures from the top deck and a few minutes to drag Leni away from the gift shop, the family returned to the taxi to head to their next destination: The Arc Du Triomph. However, even though the felonious pair were momentarily out of their hair, Leni wasn't out of danger yet. She still had another one of Silk's detractor's on her tail. The woman from the cafe who had tried to snipe her back by the Seine had taken to stalking the family, disguised as a tourist. She couldn't act, however, as she couldn't catch Leni by herself. So she had to simply continue to follow her, Lori and Rita from the steel tower to the Arc. Her chance finally came (in her eyes) as the family arrived at the Place Charles Du Gaulle. The space around the structure was overcrowded, as usual, and as the Louds' attempts to get closer to the Arc, they ended up getting separated. The chocolate haired girl made her move, shoving her way through the crowd as Leni stood on her tip toes trying to see over the sea of people. When she got right up behind her, she pulled a butterfly knife from her sleeve, flipped it open with a flick of the wrist, and raised it up right behind her back.

Before she could plunge the knife into her, however, she heard something to her immediate left; a kind of cooing. She glanced over to see a little baby girl looking right at her, being held by what she assumed was her mother. The infant smiled at her and waved, babbling baby talk. The vengeful woman stood stock still for a second, waved a little in return with a nervous smile, and quickly put the blade away, slinking back into the crowd. She may have wanted 'Agent Silk' dead, but not enough to traumatize a baby. She would just have to try again later.

* * *

With their photos taken at the famed Arc and the family reunited with the flighty fashionista (who almost ended up wandering the down the Champs Elysees trying to find her mother and sister), they returned to their taxi to head to the Louvre. Around this time, Allie had gotten Bruno out of the hospital (who was still pretty twitchy, but not badly hurt) and they were back on the job. The little lady and brawny man managed to get ahead of them once more as the cab went down a backroad as a shortcut, the duo setting up a mine on the road before ducking for cover. A little further ahead, the woman from the cafe was hidden inside a dumpster tucked between a restaurant and office building, watching and waiting with her pistol in hand. Seconds later, the vehicle's tired rolled right over the explosive trap. However, instead of detonating, the metal disk ended up flipped like a coin, spinning through the air. Allie and Bruno watched with nothing short of utter incredulity. "Of course it would be a dud…" Bruno growled.

Just then, the young lady with the chip on her should burst from the dumpster, pointing her weapon at the taxi. Before she could fire, however, she noticed the mine spiralling toward her. She screamed and ducked back into her hiding place. The device exploded upon contact with the ground near the trash bin, sending it skidding down the alley and leaving a crater in the ground. The Swan's goons cringed to one another at the sight and quickly made tracks, knowing the police would be on their way. Meanwhile, the dumpster slammed into a brick wall at the end of the alley, forcing it to stop. The ex cafe worker slowly pulled herself to the rim of the oversized rubbish bin, completely covered in trash. "Zere are forces conspiring against me…" She moaned before collapsing right back into the garbage.

* * *

As the Louvre was the last stop for the day, the Loud bid farewell to the cabbie who had shown them the sights (after getting one last generous tip from Leni) before they entered the art museum. Allie and Bruno watched them from across the street in their convertible, the former sighing in frustration. They had kept the top raised to make their observation less noticeable. "No way we can get them in there," She commented sourly. "We've pushed our luck too much as it stands."

"Don't worry, Allie...we'll get her," Her brawny associate tried to console her, patting her shoulder with one of his large hands. "Besides, it could be worse."

"I hate to ask, but how?"

"The Swan could call us." The moment he said that, his phone started to ring. They looked down at his pocket before Allie slowly glared up at him.

"You had to say it…" She growled, her partner picking up his phone and, after a worried gulp, answering it.

"Hello…?"

"Ah. Bruno. There you are," A sultry, dangerous woman's voice said through the phone. "How are you? And your partner, Allie?"

"Er...we're, uh, doing well enough, Boss...we're in Paris right now…" He answered, a fearful quaver in his voice.

"Paris. How lovely," The voice like poisoned honey responded.

"How...How are you doing, Boss?"

"Oh, I am just divine, thank you for asking. But I'm not here to talk about me. I'm here to talk about you two; namely, your progress in handling the Silk issue," She continued, which made the two of them flinch. "And that progress is…"

"We...thought we had dealt with her at Mt Huron, Swan," Allie started to answer, sweating as much as her bulky partner. "But it appears she had not only escaped, but unharmed as well." There was a moment of silence of the line, which only made the two henchpeople more nervous. With their boss not speaking, the small woman continued. "We had made a few attempts to end her here in Paris, but she got lucky and survived each time…"

"Did she now?" The Gilded Swan inquired, in a tone that was impossible to judge. She didn't sound angry...but why wouldn't she be furious about this? "...perhaps that is just as well."

"Just as well?" Bruno questioned, utterly lost. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Swan."

"Of course you don't. I don't pay you to understand. However, allow me to enlighten the two of you. I have reason to believe we have a traitor in the organization." The two goons gasped when they heard that. Who would dare double cross one as dangerous as the Gilded Swan. "I have my suspicions, of course, as to the identity of the rat...I could deal with them swiftly, but then I thought to myself: why not kill two birds with one bullet? Give the potential traitor a chance to prove where their loyalties lie. I plan to have them meet with Agent Silk and lure her into a trap. Best case scenario, Silk is dealt with easily. Worst case, two bodies, no waiting."

"Ah. I get it now. Brilliant, Boss," Allie commented, both she and Bruno snickering.

"Naturally. Lay off Silk for the time being, but keep observing her. I still want to be kept informed of her movements."

"Of course, Swan, but...er...what if something were to happen to her before she can meet the traitor?" The muscle of the two asked.

"Hmmm. Well, if something tragic were to occur, it wouldn't hurt my feelings any." The Swan said with a cruel, throaty chuckle. "Just make sure your hands are clean."

"Yes ma'am." The two replied in unison.

"Good. Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to prepare my ransom video. Don't keep me waiting for your next report~" She finished with a sort of sing song tone before hanging up.

* * *

Meanwhile, inside the museum…

As the family was attempting (and failing) to get a closer look at the Mona Lisa when the sweet, but dim teen felt a tug at her arm. Leni turned her head to see an employee of the museum standing there; a woman in a security officer's uniform, her long blonde hair tucked under her hat. "Pardon, mademoiselle, but may I have a word? I think we have something in lost and found that belongs to you."

"Huh?" The budding fashionista said as she turned to look at the guard. "Oh, sure thing. Just a moment, Mom, Lori. I'll be right back," She said, before she went off with the unknown guard. Once they turned the corner to head down an employee's only corridor, the guard pushed her up against the wall, peeking out to make sure they weren't noticed or followed.

"That was not smart…" The woman told her with a frown. "...following someone so blindly without seeing their identification first. You were trained better than that..."

"Uh...who are you?" Leni asked, feeling completely lost right now.

"...Little late for that. Lucky for you, I'm on your side, Agent Silk," The woman told her in a whisper, pulling her hat off to let her hair down. It was so thick and long, she probably could have used it as a blanket if she so chose. "Agent Satin, reporting."

"Pleased to meet you, Satin. I'm Leni."

"...you don't need to use your cover name, Silk. The area is secure." Satin told her.

"Cover name?"

"And stop with the act."

"What act?"

"The dumb act. You don't need to do that here."

"But I'm not acting..." Leni informed her, looking somewhat hurt. Agent Satin face palmed and sighed in frustration.

"Nevermind...I know why you are here, Agent Silk," She said in an attempt to get things back on track. "You're here for your meeting with The Swan's wandering gander."

"Swans, ganders, what's with all the birds…" The second oldest sister asked with a slight frown of her own.

"Would you be serious for once!?" Satin snapped as quietly as she could. "Geez, of all people to put on this case. A method actor and a joker…"

"Oh, no. I'm not a joker. That would be my sister, Luan."

"...Silk, you may be the most respected agent in the agency, but I'm about one step away from smacking you," The fellow agent hissed furiously to her. "Now, cut the shenanigans and let's get down to business proper!"

"Alright! Alright!" Leni said, holding her hands between herself and the angry woman before her. "Just tell me where to find them."

"That is going to be the tricky part, as the setting for the meet-"

"No. I mean the shenanigans you want me to cut." Hearing those words out of Leni's mouth made the agent before her freeze mid sentence; almost as if her brain had crashed hearing that. She was so utterly furious and bemused all at once.

"...you really aren't acting, are you?" Leni shook her head in answer. Satin quickly pulled a small pistol from her pocket and forced it against Leni's cheek, a furious scowl on her face. "Who are you and why were you pretending to be Agent Silk!?"

"Eep! M...My name is Leni Loud…" She told her, shaking in her sandals as the barrel of the little gun pressed painfully into her cheek. "I was asked to stand in for Agent Silk…"

"A likely story…"

"No. Really. Ask Chief Ester." She suddenly raised her wrist to show her the communication watch, which nearly made Satin pull the trigger. "Chief, I could really use some help here…"

"What's wrong, Agent Silk?" Polly's voice sounded from the watch, making Satin recoil in shock, lowering her weapon.

"C...Chief?"

"Agent Satin? Is something the matter?"

"Y...Yes, chief. This...Leni Loud is claiming she's 'standing in' for Agent Silk."

"...you weren't told?" The agent with the big hair's pupils shrank to near nonexistence.

"N...no. I was just told I would be meeting Silk here," She answered shakily. There was a brief silence from the watch before Chief Ester spoke.

"Yes, Agent Satin. As...unorthodox as it is, Miss Loud is standing in for Agent Silk specifically to meet with the Swan's agent."

"...would have been nice if she told me that from the start," Satin grumbled as she put her pistol away. "Would have saved a lot of headache."

"My apologies for that, Satin. Miss Loud is a...most unusual individual, to be certain."

"...I'm standing right here, you know," Leni said with an irritated tone to her voice.

"Anyway, Satin, I believe you have news of the meeting?" Chief Ester said, wishing to steer this messy meet up back on course.

"Yes, Chief. And unfortunately, it's not good news." The fellow agent admitted sullenly. "The enemy agent has changed the time and location for the meeting. Said he didn't feel safe here anymore. He wishes to meet with Agent Silk in Venice, exactly one week from now."

"Venice? Aww...but we just got to Paris…" The kindly sister whined a bit, equal parts saddened and frustrated by the news.

"I know it's inconvenient, Agent Silk, but that just happens sometimes," Chief Ester said. "Don't worry, though. You won't have to leave immediately. Spend a few more days in France. I'll take care of the flight arrangements." Agent Satin's phone suddenly started to vibrate, something resembling a credit card emerging from the bottom. "Take this card, Miss Loud, to cover any expenses during your time here. Food, extended hotel accommodations, entertainment, whatever you need it for."

"Really? Gee, thanks." The slow witted teen replied, the fellow agent handing the card to her.

"I trust you have a cover story prepared for your family?"

"Yep. No need to worry about that. Talk to you later, Chief. And see you later, Satin," Leni chirped before she strolled back into the main part of the museum like nothing happened.

"...Chief, was that wise?"

"It was only fair, Agent Satin, to cover this unexpected turn of events. Besides, how much can she spend?"

* * *

"Well, I think we can call any attempt to get closer a bust…" Lori complained, her arms crossed as she looked at the dense pack of people before them. "I think the crowd actually got bigger…"

"We can still see it from here, though," Rita said, trying to help her see the silver lining.

"Yeah, but it would have been nice."

"True...oh, there you are, Leni," The Loud Mother said as her second oldest daughter rejoined them.

"Hi Mom, hi Lori. There wasn't anything in the lost and found that was mine, but on the way back, I got a call from the fashion show people." She responded, looking annoyed. "They said they changed the venue of the show. They didn't like the color of the curtains at the old venue."

"Seriously…? Talk about picky," Lori commented with a roll of the eyes, while Rita had a disapproving frown on her face.

"They're holding the show in Venice now, and expect me to be there in a couple days."

"Venice? In a couple days!? Oh dear...I don't think we can afford to stay here for that much longer." Rita fretted, looking very concerned.

"It's ok, Mom. They sent someone to give me one of these card thingies." Leni explained, pulling the expense card from her purse. "They said we could use it for anything we need it for."

"Wait...really?" Her older sister said in surprise.

"Really." Both her mother and sister look at the card in her hand, then to one another.

"You thinking what I'm thinking, Mom?"

"Now, Lori. You know the responsible thing to do would be to only use it for the essentials," The Loud matriarch replied in a mock scolding tone. Lori just stood there with a kind of smirk, knowing there was more to be said. "...on the other hand, I don't much appreciate the run around they're giving Leni...and they DID say anything, right?"

"Mmmhmm," Leni answered with a nod.

"In which case, let's really enjoy our few days here," Their mother said. "We'll finish exploring the Louvre, then we'll go for a nice lunch. We'll plan the rest of our time in Paris from there." She motioned her daughters to follow her to another section of the museum, going around the crowd huddled around Leonardo's famous painting.


End file.
